UPSTAIRS INSTALL OF SNOOKER TABLES ….limited to just a few now .

8 March 2018

Due to my age now , we are having to turn some difficult lifting job’s down .
we will now not take tables upstairs unless a 6 man team is involved to save strain on backs arms and joint’s .
and I am afraid I only supply two men , so the other 4 men would have to be supplied by the client on their risk and insurance and not GCL billiards .
a 6 man team to bring in two vehicles is expensive so we just supply two men .
but I do have all the lifting loop straps and two piano trolleys .
A few years ago the building trade suppliers cut down the weight of a bag of concrete and sand to half bags , this was to save on damaged backs and joints within the building trade .
this was under guidelines set out by health and safety .
unfortunately Billiard slates cannot be cut down in size and I have to set out my own risk assessment these days for work like this ,
and it is becoming unsafe for an ageing fitter like myself and my mate Steve who is just a few years behind me to do this type of work now ,
Yes I have done it in the past and I am now suffering for it , in that my elbow and wrist joints are now playing up especially after lifting heavy slates upstairs .
thankfully 95% of Billiard / snooker tables are on ground floor level or have lift access to all floors .
so still plenty of work to be had moving tables without the heavy damage that can be incurred lifting slate upstairs .
I am 64 this month and would like to carry on working well past my official retirement age which is two years away , that is how much I enjoy my work ,
I plan to carry on until I am at least 70 full time then part time after , and reducing strains on the body to achieve this, is the advice of my Doctor .
I do have a slate slide to get slates downstairs which only involves a three man team , providing the stair case is suitable .
so we will take on the majority of moving tables downstairs installs and removals and delivery , but upstairs is now becoming a problem for full size snooker tables for me .
Some smaller tables as long as they are 3 to 5 sectional slate beds will also be taken on upstairs due to much lighter slates .
all ground floor relocation are always welcome , so nothing changed there .
I am just trying to make sure I am able to commit to a job and future work without injury from lifting very heavy slates by hand to upper floors .
a typical slate slide carpet run to get slates downstairs without damage to treads .
Slate slide fitted to one section of slate ready to lower flat and slide down stairs
slate safely at the bottom and ready to load onto piano wheels .
sometimes if a local farmer is around with a tele handler extending beam fork lift we can use this to gain access to upper floors .
or the client may have a lift that can take more than the slate at 200kg plus one man
this is a disabled lift and has a capacity of 450kg
so one man and slate up and lower back out onto piano trolley will work and will not limit the lift from working as within limits .
most larger lifts will take two men and a slate and trolley , or 6 to 8 people or around 800kg .
some clients have their own machinery on site , this tele handler crane lowering slates into a basement before being capped off with floor .
In the basement and lean upright against a far wall .
well ahead planning on getting these slates into the cellar by crane rather than carry them down when finished down past a GLASS staircase rail .
when room is finished we will return to assemble the table .
And that table set up